Prey
by secooper87
Summary: To the Slitheen, Seo's just a great big stack of money on legs.


Author's Note: Even though it's not the first story, chronologically, after Happy Endings, this is the first story I wrote after I finished writing that one.

Basically, after Happy Endings, I hit a roadblock. Didn't know what to write, next. I liked Seo, and wanted to continue writing her adventures, but didn't know what form those adventures should take. Then I realized... hey, I should re-watch the Sarah Jane Adventures, because that has Luke and Sarah Jane, and that'll give me inspiration!

Turned out... the Slitheen were my biggest inspiration.

This story is also when I came up with the character Alison. Basically for the sole reason that, while writing the story, I thought... "you know, Seo needs a friend". And shoved one in.

I had a lot of different ideas about her backstory, before I settled on the one you read in "A Scooby of Her Own". For a little while, I was thinking about having Seo and Alison both be students at the Rattigan Academy, who get kicked out because they're troublemakers.

Interesting idea. Nixed it, in the end. What I came up with later was better.

Anyways!

This story takes place while the Slitheen are setting up their energy extracting experiments, which they'll complete in the Sarah Jane Adventures. It also takes place, for Seo, in the middle of "88719". Note the way Seo says things like, "_apparently_, I've destroyed too many of those, already." Implying that she doesn't actually remember it. But knows because she got in trouble for it, after the fact.

Sad.

She probably doesn't remember this incident with the Slitheen, either, in the long run. But I mention, later, that the Slitheen come after her several times besides this. So... rest assured... Seo knows the Slitheen.

And knows how to foil them.

Enjoy!

* * *

"It's you!" shouted the fat woman. She giggled. "We know it's you. An enormous source of energy, but a blank spot on all our scans!"

Seo stopped, her hand still on a library book, half way out of the shelf. She regarded the woman, curiously.

Then beamed at her.

"I'm Seo," she said. She nodded over at her friend, who was looking a little suspiciously at what was going on with Seo. "And that's my friend, Alison! What's your name?"

"Vangovich Hashoretch Felfotch Slitheen," said the fat woman, still chuckling to herself. She let out a loud fart, and then tried to pass it off as funny.

Alison waved her hand in front of her nose. "Would you mind not doing that?"

"You," Vangovich Slitheen said to Seo, cupping her cheeks in chubby hands, "are going to make us very, very rich."

Alison snorted. "You clearly don't know her very well."

After all. They'd only wound up blowing up half the computer lab, five days ago. And even though Seo had painstakingly attempted to rebuild all the computers, the school still required Seo's mum to pay for it.

It was pretty clear.

Seo was a cash deficit. No matter what.

"Oh, yes," said Vangovich Slitheen, her hands still on Seo's cheeks. "I'll bet the Daleks would pay a pretty penny to get their hands on something like you."

Seo pried the hands away, and stepped back towards Alison. "Thanks. But… I don't think so."

"That wasn't an offer," said Vangovich. "That's a fact." Her eyes narrowed, a hint of malice and greed in their depths. "You're coming back with us. Weapon."

Then she reached up to her forehead, and peeled off a zipper across the top. A shining blue energy seared out through the zipper, as the gigantic green-skinned, bulky alien stepped out. Dropping the skin as if it were a garment it was finished with.

Alison gasped in horror.

Seo seemed delighted. "A compression field that makes you skinnier!" she cried. Then, leaning in, with a whisper, "Do you have a bikini-version of those? Because _that's_ your money-making opportunity, right there."

"Seo," said Alison. "It's _real skin_."

Seo's grin slid off her face, as she bent down and grabbed up the skin off the floor. Her eyes grew dark, as she realized… that Alison was right.

Seo looked back up at the Slitheen. "I don't like you anymore."

The Slitheen gurgled in delight.

Seo dropped the skin to the ground, stepping forward, her anger evident. "Forget me, go home, and never set foot on this planet ever again," she demanded. "Or I'll decide not to overlook this."

The Slitheen gave another laugh. "You use anger to try to cover your fear!" it chirruped. "But I can smell your fear." Looking between Alison and Seo. "Both of you."

"You don't want me to get my parents involved," Seo warned.

"Oh, you're going to go crying to mummy!" the Slitheen mocked. It reached out to grab at Seo. "But mummy and daddy can't reach you where you're going."

Seo jumped back at the last moment, avoiding the Slitheen's claw. Then she grabbed Alison by the hand, and they raced out of the library.

"They aren't afraid of your _mum_?" asked Alison. "What universe are they from?!"

They flew down the corridor, spun around a corner, and then zipped down another long hallway, their feet thudding against the tiled floor.

"Keep running, little children!" shouted the Slitheen. "I love a good hunt."

Seo glanced over her shoulder. "Hunt? This isn't a hunt! Who said anything about a hunt?"

Alison tugged her out of the way as the Slitheen advanced on them, claws raised. Then hurled the both of them into a nearby classroom, and locked the door.

"I can't believe they were calling that a hunt!" Seo just kept saying. "That was a 'chase'. There was nothing even remotely 'hunt' about it."

"They're trying to kill us!" said Alison.

"No, they're trying to kill _you_," Seo corrected. "I'm fairly certain they're planning to do something far nastier to me."

A cracking of wood, as the Slitheen threw itself against the door.

"It's going to break down the door," Alison whispered.

Seo swore beneath her breath. "All right, in that case, I'd better let her in," she said, trudging towards the door.

"Seo!"

"What?" said Seo, unlocking it. "Mom's said she'd kill me if I broke anything else." She opened the door, and stood facing the Slitheen. "I'm letting you in," she said, "but you're not allowed to break anything. Especially not if it's expensive. Or a computer." She winced. "Apparently, I've broken far too many of those, recently."

The Slitheen advanced on them.

"And you don't do anything to Alison," Seo added, hastily, backing up a few steps. "Understand?"

"You don't seem to grasp the concept of a hunt," gurgled the Slitheen, who yanked Seo up by the arm, dragging her across the ground, advancing on Alison, teeth bared.

"For the last time, this _isn't_…" Seo started.

"Oh, but it is!" said the Slitheen. And she swiped down towards Alison with her claws.

But before she could touch Alison, a loud crack echoed through the room, and the Slitheen stepped back, howling in pain. It was then tossed, violently, against the ground, as it clutched the arm that had once been holding Seo.

"As long as you're aware that _you_ made it a hunt," said Seo, advancing on the creature.

The creature seemed visibly shocked. Jumped to its feet, its eyes blazing, as it charged forwards.

Seo flipped over its head, and kicked it in the back, sending it flying into the nearby wall.

"But… but you're… small!" the Slitheen protested, peeling itself out of the indentation its body had left in the wall. "You're the prey. You're not supposed to…!"

"Was there a part of the phrase 'Highly Dangerous Super Weapon' that you _didn't_ understand?" Seo asked. She shoved the Slitheen back down onto the ground, as it tried to stumble to its feet. "Get off this planet. Now."

"You're… a primitive!" the Slitheen insisted. "A weak minded, half-human…"

"Um, do you want her to actually kill you?" Alison demanded, crossing her arms. "Or are you just insulting her because you think it's funny?"

Seo leaned in, closer, to the Slitheen. "You have no idea who or what you're dealing with," she said, very quietly. "So just remember. I'm the predator. You're the prey. Always. And if I had your callous views on the value of life — every last member of your race would be dead, gone, and skinned for what you've done. Do you understand that?"

The Slitheen tried to lash out, and Seo grabbed up the talon in her small hand.

"I said," said Seo, "do you understand?"

The Slitheen squeaked out its agreement.

Seo beamed at it. "Brilliant!"

She let it go.

Then turned to Alison, excitement in her eyes. "I've just had the most amazing idea," she said, as they rushed out the door, "about creating a rocket that runs on the food from the cafeteria. Don't you think we should do that?"

The Slitheen stumbled to her feet. Then contacted the rest of her family.

"Tropoit Endizer Liftop Slitheen?" she said. "I think we might need to rethink this one."


End file.
